Same day. 10:22 AM. Shinagawa Ward. St. Alsard Girls’ Academy, High School Division.
After finishing breakfast in the cafeteria, we took a car from the Base and arrived at the High School Division of St. Alsard Girls’ Academy. The grounds were enclosed by high outer walls, making it impossible to see the high school division or the rest of the academy extending further back from the outside. The main gate had a magnificent appearance, looking almost like the Akasaka State Guest House.
“What an incredible place.”
Heading toward the parking lot, I gazed outside from the passenger seat. The grounds inside were quite expansive. Since classes were currently in session, no high school students were walking around, but young women in plain clothes, presumably academy students, could be seen scattered across the plazas.
St. Alsard Girls’ High School. St. Alsard Church is a new religion that originated in America after the year 2000 and rapidly spread worldwide. It teaches that the world was created and is guided to peace by the Goddess of Light, Alsard, and her four subordinate deities governing nature: fire, water, wind, and earth.
Perhaps impressed by its doctrines, leading entrepreneurs around the world actively began supporting the church in various ways, which triggered an explosive increase in believers. While the world’s mainstream religions are Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism, it is now distinguishing itself as the fourth major religion. Although said to have fewer followers than Hinduism, through its immense financial power, it actively conducts missionary work and provides charitable services to those suffering from poverty and inequality, steadily increasing its followers and growing its influence day by day.
After parking the car, we went to the high school division’s reception desk, and a staff member guided us to an interview room on the second floor. The interior of the school, which looked to be made of white marble, had a holy atmosphere and felt refreshingly cool even in the summer.
“I am Ayuka Hojo, a third-year student at the High School Division of St. Alsard Girls’ Academy.”
Entering the interview room equipped with a small desk, Hojo-san stood up from her chair and bowed deeply. She looked more slender and beautiful than in her photo. The monochrome-toned blazer suited her very well. She was probably in the upper half of 150 centimeters tall. She had a somewhat high, adorable voice, but was a female student with a very calm, cleric-like atmosphere. It made sense that she was interning at the St. Alsard Church.
“I’m Kamikura, Special Agent with the UCIA. My partner is Himemiya. I apologize for interrupting your studies. To get right to the point, we’d like to hear about your fellow club member, Yuna Hamano.”
“I’m Asami Himemiya. It’s nice to meet you, Hojo-san.”
When I gave her a warm smile, she returned a slight smile of her own. However, judging from her expression, she seemed to be taking the incident heavily. While sorrow could be felt from her eyes, I could also catch a glimpse of her earnest desire to face the incident head-on.
“Regarding Hamano-san…”
Kamikura began extracting information about Yuna Hamano. How she acted during club activities, whether anything came to mind, and so on. He gathered fragments of information, taking notes one by one.
“…So, there was nothing particularly unusual about her during club activities, huh…”
Kamikura put his pen down. From the information Kamikura managed to draw out, there didn’t seem to be anything that rang a bell. Behaviorally, there appeared to be no changes.
“By the way, Hojo-san, did Hamano-san have any interests or hobbies other than chess? For example, fortune-telling… or the occult…”
At my question, Hojo-san’s expression grew stern for just a moment. Kamikura shot a quick glance at me. It was eye contact telling me there was a high probability she knew something.
“Hojo-san. Kamikura and I have frequently experienced cases overseas that defy common sense. Anything, no matter how trivial, is fine. If you can think of anything, could you tell us?”
Though I hadn’t personally experienced such cases directly, there were many eerie incidents in the US where spiritual phenomena were suspected to be involved. I had often heard such stories from colleagues and acquaintances. It might be a lie if you wanted to call it that, but drawing out information was our top priority right now.
“Actually… there is an urban legend rumored among the female students…”
She spoke quietly and slowly. Kamikura and I reflexively exchanged a look.
“Could you tell us the details?”
And so, she slowly began to speak.
“There’s an urban legend about a ‘Dreaming Witch’ who can grant any wish. She appears in women’s dreams and bestows a magical accessory that grants wishes. It is said that if you make a wish within 14 days, anything will come true… However, there is one thing you must be careful of…”
When that word came out, Kamikura and I exchanged a look once again. It seemed she knew the details of the ‘Yumemisama’ we were aware of. Swallowing hard, we listened closely to what followed.
“It’s said that if you make a wish that is beyond your standing, your soul will be taken away as the price…”
(Your soul… taken away?)
“Does this Dreaming Witch… only appear in the dreams of women?”
She answered Kamikura’s question.
“Yes. It is said that the Dreaming Witch only appears in women’s dreams. This urban legend is a rumor mainly spreading among a portion of female students… Hamano-san was quite interested in fortune-telling and the occult, so…”
Then, as if fearing something, she said:
“…Yumemisama. She, too, might have unfortunately encountered her…”
(Yumemisama!? She… ‘too’?)
Kamikura seemed surprised when that word slipped out. ‘She too…’ meant there were other students who had encountered Yumemisama? Kamikura seemed to have noticed her phrasing as well. She might be more intimately familiar with these inexplicable incidents than we imagined. Did the fact that she was interning at the St. Alsard Church mean she possessed some strong spiritual intuition?
“By ‘she too’… is it safe to assume there are other victims?”
“………”
Hojo-san looked down and clammed up. Kamikura pressed on.
“You said you were interning at the St. Alsard Church. Is there someone affiliated with the Church who got caught up in an inexplicable incident?”
It was right then. The door to the interview room was abruptly opened. It was the female staff member who had guided us at the reception.
“Excuse me. The visitation time is now over. Hojo-san, you have been summoned by the Church. A car is waiting out front, so please head there immediately.”
“Understood.”
Hojo-san, who had been sitting in her chair, stood up.
“Wait, the visitation time was supposed to be thirty minutes. Couldn’t you let us hear a little more? People are dying. Her story might be the clue to solving this.”
Despite Kamikura’s words, the staff member’s attitude didn’t change.
“Hojo-san bears important responsibilities at the Church. A summons from the Church is absolute. Her duties take precedence over all else.”
“But—”
I restrained Kamikura, who refused to back down.
“Understood. We will take our leave for today. Thank you for your cooperation. It would be a great help if you could continue to cooperate with our investigation in the future.”
My intervention seemed to calm Kamikura down a bit. But it was strange. The Kamikura from our FBI days should have been much calmer. In fact, it was usually me who was being held back…
“Hojo-san. Thank you for speaking with us. Good luck with your work at the Church.”
I smiled and offered my thanks. However, her expression was a bit tense.
“Himemiya-san… was it?”
“Yes. Was there… something that offended you?”
“Please stand up straight and close your eyes.”
(…What?)
I closed my eyes as told. That was because her expression was incredibly serious.
“Goddess of Light, Alsard. Purify and banish evil, and guide her to the righteous path. Purify and banish evil, and guide her to the righteous path. Let there be light upon this one. Let there be light upon this one. Guide her to the righteous path.”
(Some sort of incantation from the Alsard Church…?)
It was an incantation I had never heard before. And somehow, the core of my body felt as if it had grown warm… It was a very mysterious feeling.
“I am finished. You may open your eyes.”
When I opened my eyes, Hojo-san was giving me a warm, radiant smile.
“Was that… some kind of charm? My body feels mysteriously warm… that’s how it feels.”
“It is a purification prayer passed down in the St. Alsard Church. If you felt some kind of warm change, I believe that is a good thing.”
Hojo-san’s gentle voice. I wonder what kind of responsibilities she holds at the Alsard Church. I felt my heart greatly soothed by her gentle, sister-like aura.
“Now then, allow me to see you out.”
Guided by the female staff member, we left the school building and headed to the parking lot. It was still morning, but the heat outside was unusually sweltering. Japanese summers have high humidity, making them extremely uncomfortable and draining. Washington D.C. was quite hot too, but the Japanese summer was a step above.
“We can discuss the details in the car, but it’s a good thing we managed to hear various things from Hojo-san.”
Uncharacteristically, Kamikura was walking slightly behind me. Was he thinking about something…? His expression felt a bit heavy.
“What’s wrong, Kamikura?”
“No, it’s nothing…”
Was he feeling unwell…? Come to think of it, Kamikura still wasn’t in perfect health. Perhaps because of his nature to never show weakness, he might not actually be recovered enough to return to the field yet.
“What’s that sound? A flute…?”
From somewhere, the beautiful sound of a flute could be heard. This melody sounded somewhat familiar.
“This piece… it’s a famous classical one.”
“‘Salut d’Amour’… maybe? It’s a wonderful piece.”
The direction the flute’s sound was coming from. Right next to the parking lot, there was the shade of a tree, and leaning against it was a young woman playing the flute. Was she a student of the Academy?
“…She’s good.”
Kamikura was a man who liked this kind of classical music. Listening closely, the gentle tone slipped right into my heart. It certainly wasn’t just playing the melody. It felt as if her own unique tone was riding on it.
With her long black hair fluttering, the woman had her eyes closed, concentrating on her performance with a quiet expression. Held in both hands was a flute emitting a very pale blue glow. Perhaps it was custom-made? I had never seen a flute of such a unique color.
(A wonderful tone… But what is it? Somehow, the sound seems to carry a tinge of sorrow… even though it’s supposed to be a cheerful tune…)
For a while, the two of us just listened to the sound of her flute…
We were only supposed to listen for a moment, but it seemed Kamikura was also completely captivated by the performance.
A performance that draws people in. It was simply magnificent.
When the performance ended, Kamikura and I gave quiet applause. Opening her eyes, the woman seemed to notice us for the first time. She immediately showed a surprised expression.
“Ah! I’m sorry… You surprised me…”
The woman bowed deeply.
“It was a lovely performance. I’m sorry, we ended up listening from a front-row seat.”
“Edward Elgar’s ‘Salut d’Amour’. It was a wonderful performance. Are you a music major?”
At Kamikura’s question, the woman quietly shook her head.
“…No, I am a theology major at the Girls’ Academy. In the future, I intend to become a sister serving the Goddess Alsard and devote myself to the Church.”
“A theology major… With that level of expressiveness, I think you could easily make it in the world of music…”
Kamikura might have been right. I felt like we frequently went to classical concerts during our college days. Both Kamikura and Tetsuya loved music. Honestly, I felt this woman’s performance was at a professional level. Though it was just an amateur’s opinion.
“Good luck with your studies. We’ll be taking our leave now.”
Smiling, I gave my regards and headed to the parking lot, leaving behind Kamikura, who looked like he still wanted to talk. Sensing this, Kamikura bowed to the woman and followed me.
“We’re still on duty, you know. If you want to hit on girls, why don’t you do it on your day off?”
I threw a sarcastic remark at him. Payback for his usual behavior.
“…Jealousy? Cut it out, it’ll give you wrinkles.”
His voice tone was slightly low. He was probably a little angry. Serves him right.
As we got into the car, Kamikura pressed the engine start switch three times.
“Now then, where should we begin…?”
It seemed this car had undergone quite some special modifications. In a normal car, pressing the engine switch twice without stepping on the brake activates the accessory power, but by pressing it three times, this car could shift into a special security mode. It made the interior completely soundproof, and by calculating the surrounding environment and projecting it onto the windshield, side, and rear windows, it could disguise the car from the outside as if no one was inside. Furthermore, it apparently had a function to detect infrared and laser sensors. Though it seemed the security mode consumed a lot of power and couldn’t be used for long periods…
“Our conversation with Hojo-san was probably monitored. They likely just didn’t want us asking anything beyond that.”
“No doubt about it. Though their method was rather sloppy. The visitation time was supposed to be thirty minutes; to have it abruptly cut short that early… There was likely something related to the Dreaming Witch within the Church as well. Judging from Hojo’s tone, it’s safe to assume someone has gone missing.”
“Right. But the only one made public is the Yuna Hamano case. The rest might be under a confidential investigation…”
“And so, that leaves two ways to obtain reliable information.”
“Which are?”
“Request an information offensive from Chris and steal the data. The other is for you to set a honey trap for Tetsuya and extract the information directly. How about it?”
“…Are you seriously saying that?”
For a moment, my hand almost went to the holster on my waist, but I settled for glaring at him. A honey trap on Tetsuya was definitely something I couldn’t just let slide.
“…Don’t get so mad. That was payback for earlier.”
Kamikura said quietly. What was it? In the past, Kamikura was the kind of person who would say things like this with a slight smile. But now, it felt as though his smile had almost completely vanished…
The incident where Kamikura sustained his critical injuries…
Did he suffer wounds to his heart that were even greater than the wounds to his body…?
“I don’t want to lose anything else anymore…”
The words Kamikura had spoken at the shooting range.
What on earth did you lose…?
“…Sorry. Are you mad?”
“…Not really. I’m already used to you being your usual self.”
I understand Kamikura better than anyone else. I should understand him. That’s why I need to be the one to stay closest to him.
The only one who can understand and help Kamikura… is me.
“By the way, requesting an ‘information offensive’ from Chris sounds nice, but it basically means hacking, right? Would it really go that smoothly? Considering our organization’s future, wouldn’t that be a bad move?”
“If you’re worried about Chris’s skills, you can consider that worry unnecessary. She is a genius hacker, and at the same time, she should possess a powerful weapon. There’s no one who can beat her in cyber warfare.”
“What is this ‘powerful weapon’?”
Something caught my attention. ‘Should possess a powerful weapon’? Did he know something about Chris? The fact that he couldn’t assert it meant it was likely just on the level of an assumption for Kamikura as well. It probably wasn’t a physical heavy firearm. Was it cyber-related connections? Or did she have some other area of expertise? She seemed to have a considerable amount of knowledge about hardware too…
“I was out of line earlier, but if it looks like you can get information at the dinner tonight, try sounding Tetsuya out for a top-secret info request. The fact that he’s soft on you has been a well-known fact since our college days.”
“That’s my intention, of course. If he makes sleeping with him a condition… you’d be fine with that, right, Kamikura?”
I said it deliberately. Of course, I had absolutely no intention of sleeping with Tetsuya, but he was handsome, had a good figure, was sharp-minded, grew up in an extremely wealthy family, and was a Superintendent with a promising future. Honestly, the chances of him climbing to the top of the National Police Agency were incredibly high. As an ideal man, he was flawless; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that 99% of women in the world would admire and fall for him.
“…You need to cut that out.”
Kamikura said quietly, disengaged the security mode, and started the engine. The car then began its journey back to Ground Base.
It was only a little bit, but I felt glad, as if we had returned to the old days.
Looking at the clock, it was already noon. I was getting hungry too. I wonder what’s for lunch today… With that in mind, I gazed at the scenery passing by out the car window…